Victory! Colorado Bans Greyhound Racing

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This week Colorado made history by becoming the 39th state to ban dog racing when Governor John Hickenlooper signed a bill making it illegal in the state.

While some poor performers and retirees may find their way into rescues and forever homes, thousands of others won’t be so lucky. The bill to ban dog racing was introduced by Representative KC Becker, sponsored by Senators Lois Tochtrop, Pat Steadman and Linda Newell and supported by animal advocates and organizations including GREY2K, Colorado Voters for Animals, Colorado Citizens for Canine Welfare, the ASPCA and the Humane Society of the United States.

Since dog racing was legalized in the 1940s, five tracks opened and closed in Colorado. Although profits steadily dwindled and the last track shut down in 2008, greyhound advocates were concerned that new facilities would open their doors in the state.

According to a report from GREY2K, greyhounds at Colorado tracks endured lives of confinement in stacked cages that left larger dogs unable to even fully stand up. The industry was also plagued with other problems from drugs to missing dogs. Sadly, there were also 2,636 greyhound injuries reported at Colorado tracks between 1993 and 2007, with more than half of them involving broken legs and fractured spines.

While Colorado’s new ban is a victory, greyhounds are still being legally exploited in a number of other states. There are currently 11 states with no bans in place and operational tracks in seven of them, including Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, West Virginia and Texas.

GREY2K is polling people to find out which state we want to see make racing illegal next. So far, Florida’s in the lead, which isn’t surprising considering that’s where 12 of the 21 remaining tracks in the U.S. are.

Thanks to a recent law that requires Florida to report greyhound deaths, we now know that over the last seven months of 2013, 74 racing greyhounds died at 10 Florida tracks. To put that into perspective, the numbers mean a greyhound dies every three days. Shockingly, there have already been 18 deaths since the start of 2014.

Now greyhound advocates are urging lawmakers to require injury reporting and end the ridiculous state mandate that requires gambling operations to hold dog races. Even if gambling enterprises wanted to end racing, or cut back significantly, they’re not allowed to. Fortunately, it has become clear to many, including lawmakers and those in the industry, that dog racing is being propped up by this “coupling” tactic that ignores animal welfare and leaves thousands of dogs running for their lives.

“Let’s be honest about the fact that the only reason we have greyhound racing in the state of Florida is that our laws require parimutuel facilities to engage in this barbaric practice simply to keep their licenses,” said Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

Hopefully, Florida will be next to adopt legislation that will bring a long overdue end to dog racing. For more info on efforts to end greyhound racing by state and greyhound rescues and adoptions, visit GREY2K and their adoption page.

Jacob J.-Maybe your family never mistreated or killed any of the greyhounds you bred and raced, but that does not mean other breeders/racers were as kind. I grew up very close to a race track in Colorado. On any given race day, you could see small trucks, (dog catcher sized trucks, with separate small compartments), crammed full of dogs, a lot of the time in very hot weather, for more then just a minute of two. The out buildings where the dogs were kept, smelled to high heaven and were in bad shape. Not to mention, that several of the dogs I saw in these areas did not look well, and I am not talking about being slender like a greyhound is naturally. I mean sick. So just because your family was kind to your dogs, I doubt you can claim that all other breeders are the same. There are two many instances of mass graves being found on breeders properties, and statements made by other people in the industry. And even if what you say were true, dogs are still injured during racing, and suffer great pain when it happens. As a Colorado native, and an animal lover, I am thrilled that greyhound racing was banned here! It needs to be banned in every state, and horse racing needs to follow. As for Hickenlooper, he did a lot for Colorado, but you get your wish, lets see just how well the Republican you elected will do in his place. Good luck with that!

How is this a victory? Not only do you show your ignorance by stating complete myths about dog racing, but you actually perpetuate the lie that loser dogs are killed. My family bred and raced greyhounds for DECADES and none were euthanized for poor performance. Odds are you've never even met a true race dog, so why don't you do some primary research before writing a bullshit article?
Hickenlooper has already proven what a disgrace he is to the state of Colorado and the Democratic party. He will not be receiving my vote in November, and this is just another reason why.

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Lindsay Spangler is a Web Editor and Producer for Care2 Causes. A recent UCLA graduate, she lives in San Francisco, California. She is most interested in the environment, civil rights, immigration rights, and international politics. less